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Chinese Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming responds to questions from the press after arriving in Korea at Incheon International Airport on May 1. (Yonhap News)

Arriving in South Korea to discuss policies aimed at North Korea, China’s top nuclear envoy said the key to resolving Korean Peninsula issues is “in the hands of the DPRK and the US, not China.”

This is Liu Xiaoming’s first visit to South Korea since he took over as the Chinese government’s special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs.

Meeting with reporters upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport on Sunday afternoon, Liu shared his remarks when asked how he viewed China’s role in preserving peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Liu replied by saying that the root cause of the antagonism between North Korea and the US is the deep distrust between the two.

Liu stressed the need to persuade the two sides to take part in “meaningful and serious dialogue.”

Commenting on the North Korean nuclear threat, Liu said, “We support denuclearization, but we also think that the individual countries’ security should be taken into account.”

“We need to address root causes, rather than just the surface-level phenomena,” he added.

The Chinese government maintains that the root cause for the issues faced by the Korean Peninsula lies with the external security threats that Pyongyang has long faced, stressing that the North’s “legitimate security issues” need to be addressed to fundamentally resolve issues for the peninsula in general.

“We disapprove any actions that could escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula,” Liu said, adding that he “look[s] forward to finding ways of reducing tensions in Korean Peninsula issues through discussions with South Korea.”

He also shared his plans to “seek out political solutions to Korean Peninsula issues by meeting with figures from South Korea’s outgoing and incoming administrations.”

On Tuesday, Liu is scheduled to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. During discussions between the two sides’ senior representatives on the North Korean nuclear issue, Noh is expected to call for Beijing’s cooperation in persuading Pyongyang to refrain from additional activities at a time of mounting tensions on the peninsula.

During his visit, Liu reportedly plans to meet as well with First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun and officials from the South Korean Ministry of Unification and National Security Office. He is also scheduled to meet with figures representing the incoming administration of Yoon Suk-yeol, including members of the presidential transition committee.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]